Truce at last at Salatiga university

Truce at last at Salatiga university

JAKARTA (JP): The protracted conflict at the Satyawacana
Christian University in Salatiga, Central Java, has come to an
end with the various parties signing a truce on Nov. 20.

Tony Waworuntu, head of the forum of churches that backs the
university, told reporters yesterday that the violence-marred
conflict, which had dragged on for nearly three years, ended with
the signing of the peace pact in Salatiga.

Under the agreement, the various parties are to promote the
spirit of love and forgiveness for the sake of the university and
to renew their commitment to carrying out the church's mission in
education, Tony was quoted by Antara as saying.

The three parties involved in the agreement were
representatives of the foundation that owned the university, the
college administrators, and a group of staff lecturers and
students who called itself the "pro-democracy" group.

Tony said the pact was the result of the hard work of a six-
person team -- Reverend Widjojo Hadipranoto BD, Maj. Gen. (ret.)
Sarwono, Rev. Benny Fobia, A. Pongtuluran, Rev. I Ketut Suyaga
Ayub and Rev. I.P. Lambe.

He said that all the staff lecturers who were suspended during
the conflict would be given their jobs back, with the exception
of Arief Budiman.

He also confirmed that three staff lecturers at Satyawacana
turned out to have been involved in the outlawed Indonesian
Communist Party (PKI), as the military has alleged.

"After our investigation, we confirmed that they had served
time as PKI's political detainees at Pulau Buru," he said, adding
that if they were to continue teaching at the university, they
would not be given strategic posts.

He declined to name the three lecturers.(emb)